Thank You #98

By now, everyone has heard that, in moving personal essay in Sports Illustrated, Jason Collins became the first male active player in a major team sport in the United States to come out as gay. That may seem like a lot of qualifiers, but this is a big fucking deal. Like most people, I had never heard of Jason Collins before today. In fact, I'm not sure I'd heard of the Washington Wizards, the NBA he played for last year. Seriously, while I've never been a fan of professional basketball, I do think I have fairly good general sports knowledge, but I don't think I could have told you what the name of the DC NBA team was yesterday. So, obviously take all my thoughts on this with a huge grain of salt, but I do have a few things to say.

First, it may sound odd, but I was really glad when I found out Jason Collins is black--but I was having trouble articulating (even just to myself) why. Fortunately, Rob Smith explains "Why the race of NBA’s first openly gay player matters just as much as his sexual orientation":

...The color of the face attached to the cover story of Sports Illustrated — and the photos that will be shown on ESPN and CNN and every major media news outlet in the world — isn’t just important, it’s revolutionary. I would argue that Collins’ coming out will do more to advance the LGBT conversation within the black community than even President Obama’s embrace of gay marriage. ...Now, when an 18-year-old black boy is thinking about coming out and looking for someone in the popular culture who looks like him — he’s certainly going to find him. Jason Collins may not have been around when I was 18. But that doesn’t diminish the pride I feel as a 30-year-old man watching him come out now, and I can only imagine how many people who look just like us are feeling the same thing.

Sadly, I was disappointed in ESPN for how it handled the story. First, the story was one of the lead stories on every newscast today (and not just the sports news, but the national news), but ESPN buried it. Then, this happened:

To be fair, ESPN has been pretty good on LGBT issues before (and even showed a pro-bowler kissing his partner after a big win), but this was just stupid of them. Fortunately, Jason Collins is not just a practicing Christian, but apparently a very well-read and smart one. If and when he wants, I'm sure he'll be able to rip bigots like Chris Broussard to shreds if they try to use the bible to condemn homosexuality.

Happily, Chris Broussard was one of the few haters out there today. Twitter was a real love fest for Collins--with everyone from Kobe Bryant to Michelle Obama to Neil Patrick Harris tweeting their support. I'm just pissed that the Boston Red Sox tweeted this:

We salute you, @jasoncollins34 for your courage and leadership. Any time you want to throw out a first pitch at Fenway Park, let us know.
— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) April 29, 2013

How am I supposed to hate the Red Sox (as I do) if they keep being so good on LGBT issues?

More important that what the Twitterverse or sportscasters or anyone else thinks or says, I have been incredibly impressed by Jason Collins. Really, go read his coming out essay and also the excellent behind-the-scenes story by Sports Illustrated writer Jon Wertheim. It's impossible not to come away from them without agreeing with former NBA player and current gay, John Amaechi:

Congratulations to Jason - society couldn't hope for a more eloquent & positive role model: buff.ly/10OvOMd
— John Amaechi OBE (@JohnAmaechi) April 29, 2013

What really sealed the deal for me was I read this passage in Collins essay:

My one small gesture of solidarity was to wear jersey number 98 with the Celtics and then the Wizards. The number has great significance to the gay community. One of the most notorious antigay hate crimes occurred in 1998. Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student, was kidnapped, tortured and lashed to a prairie fence. He died five days after he was finally found. That same year the Trevor Project was founded. This amazing organization provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention to kids struggling with their sexual identity. Trust me, I know that struggle. I've struggled with some insane logic. When I put on my jersey I was making a statement to myself, my family and my friends.

Matthew Shepard's parents are touched by Collins tribute to their son:

"It made me cry," Judy Shepard told FOXSports.com during an interview Monday afternoon. "It was really quite a tribute, and I was very honored. And I know Matt would be thrilled." And the Shepards hope, someday, to be able to thank Collins personally for his bravery in opening himself up to the world and honoring their son’s name in the process. "I would really love to speak to him, because I know Judy and I would just like to thank him," Dennis Shepard said. "Because, No. 1, he had the courage to come out, period, and No. 2 that he wore 98 in honor of Matt, the year that he died. ...[Collins] couldn’t have been that old (when it happened), so it must have had a tremendous impact on him, the story behind Matt, for him to want to do that. And then to wear it all this time without telling people why until today, that’s incredible."

So, Congratulations and Thank You, Jason Collins! I'm still not going to watch professional basketball, but if there's any other way that I could support you, please let me know.

**********************************

I have few things to add to my original post--specifically, an apology, a response to a legit criticism of the news and a new video.

An apology

I can't believe I didn't mention or link to Outsports in my original post. Cyd Zeigler and Jim Buzinski have created a blog that is indeed "the galactic leader in gay sports" news. Of course, they have lots of posts about the Collins story, including Zeigler's nice personal reflections:

...Mostly, I thought about the kids. I was one of those once. I grew up in a basketball household on a healthy diet of Celtics-Lakers championship series. My dad was a local hero, able to hit his elbow on the rim at a time when dunking was against the rules. I was supposed to follow in his footsteps, but on the first day of basketball tryouts in junior high school, I had an all-consuming feeling that I just didn't belong. There's no doubt in my mind that being gay, just struggling with my sexuality and being teased for it by the other boys, kept me off the basketball court. Like many LGBT youth, I opted for individual sports -- track & field and cross-country -- instead.

Thanks to Collins, the young ones in Pee-Wee football today won't know a world without an openly gay male pro athlete. The teens in youth basketball, just starting to understand their own sexuality, will forever have someone to look up to, someone who looks like them. The young gay men playing college baseball today got a shot in the arm: They now know the sports world is ready for them.

 Really, go read the whole thing.

A response to a legit criticism of the news

The title of Kate Sheppard's Mother Jones piece sums it up: "Jason Collins Is Not The First Out Gay Pro Athlete". As I said at the beginning of this post, telling Jason Collins story requires a lot of qualifiers. I went with the unwieldy "Jason Collins became the first male active player in a major team sport in the United States to come out as gay."--yikes, that's too much for a headline. Sheppard rightly points out that many women have come out during their careers, and that their have also been openly gay male athletes outside of "the big four" of the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. In particular, Martina Navratilova seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle. Thankfully, she is not shy about reminding the media that she came out as a lesbian at the height of her tennis career in 1981.

Well done Jason Collins- you are a brave man. And a big man at that:) 1981 was the year for me- 2013 is the year for you:)
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) April 29, 2013

I think the criticism of the media is completely fair. Fortunately, today they are beginning to fill in the gaps. I hope the Jason Collins story spurs a discussion of not just homophobia but also larger gender issues in professional sports including the sexism of sports journalism. I also think it's important to note that Jason Collins has been very gracious in acknowledging everyone who came before him and made his announcement possible, saying simply, "The words thank you are not enough." Which lead me to...

A video...
...in which Jason Collins honors his hero Navratilova. He also speaks well on LGBT issues including his connection to the number 98 amazingly well for someone who a) just came out and b) is at the center of a media frenzy right now.

Well done, sir. Now, I will try to watch at least one of your games next year. NBA execs take note, Collins is a free agent and whichever team signs him will quickly expand their fan base--seriously, as a pure business decision, it makes sense. The gays are very brand loyal to LGBT friendly businesses.

Lance Armstrong's Next Big Confession?

So, Fucking Lance Armstrong told Oprah that his "perfect story" was "one big lie". All the media is focusing on his lies about doping, and then his lies about lying about doping. However, drug allegations weren't the only rumors about Lance during the height of his career. There was much internet speculation that perhaps the "b" should be dropped when people talked about his "bromance" with Matthew McConaughey.

 

The pictures of them exercising shirtless together started the stories that they were more than "work out buddies" (because everyone knows that jogging on the beach is foreplay for the gays).

There were even rumors of a big gay ménage à trois between Lance Armstrong, Matthew McConaughey, and Jake Gyllenhaal because the three of them shockingly, publicly bicycled together and were also seen together at a LIVESTRONG event.

Of course, Armstrong and McConaughey denied that they were homosexual lovers. Armstrong said they were just "buds" who took "guy trips" and it was all "something very normal"--but how can we believe that they were "just friends" given Armstrong's incredible history of lying? In short, is Lance Armstrong about to pull a Jodie Foster?

The Confessions Of St. Jodie

  
The Interwebs continue to be abuzz with thoughts on Jodie Foster's Golden Globes speech. One big question is whether or not she actually "came out". I don't think this was a true confession because it was not made properly. True confessions, like those of St. Augustine, must written in Latin. So, using Google Translate, I translated (a slightly edited version of) Jodie's speech into Latin--for those who can read Latin, that text is at the bottom of this post. Since most of us cannot read Latin, I then put translated the Latin text back into English. What follows is the result. I've highlighted the most enlightening passages for all our spiritual benefit.

The Confessions of St. Jodie

Thank you. It is well for all of you SNL fans, I'm 50! , ... You know that this work without the worship, as long as, or later. I'm 50! You know, I was going to bring my walker this night, but it just does not go with CLEAVAGE. Robert, I want to thank them all. For your bat-crazed brain rapid fire, the sweet inside. Gaius, I love you and I am so grateful that I said that I have always been done is to make them idle to talk with the honor of .... Welcome to me last night. Home is a great part of the year promises a queen of the night in my opinion.

The confession of the whole, therefore, I am here, I guess I just is to say that the air is never a surprise attack they were able to service of the state. Thus, the declaration ... I'm a little nervous about that, but maybe not quite as nervous as my publicist right now, huh Jennifer? Just now, I am not a lamb of god not to extinguish it by law? The great and proud, right? In this way, I'm need your support on this, lamb of god. I am ... celibate. Yes, I am, I am unmarried men. No, I'm kidding. But I really am kidding, but I am such a kidding. Many thanks for the enthusiasm. Wolf whistle or can take it? I hope you guys expecting to find a great night out of speaking, because I came a thousand years old, stone back. Bid it fragile time when the girl opened the door of a friend and the faith of the family, co-workers, and by degrees all that had known it boldly, even when it belongs to them all. But now, apparently, I'm told that every celebrity is expected to honor the details of private life, with a press conference, the scent, and the first time a reality show. You guys might be surprised, but I'm not Mel ROAR ROAR of the Child. Let me not be ashamed of, and it's just not to me has never been and never will be. But Do not cry, because it would not be the truth of a proposition, my loves. I would have to do with Marion Cotillard, I would like to spank Daniel Craig's farm, you know, just to stay on the air. But, nevertheless, will not be allowed an evil deed.

But seriously. From this it is if you were a toddler, you openly, if you'd felt to fight against the truths of life and was the only loves the honesty, the price to you, perhaps, most of all the lakes. Private. Sometimes they will be mindful of the future was a beautiful look. I have put everything there, from the time of three years. That's enough of a reality show, do not you think? There are a few secrets to keep your psyche intact for so long here. First: Love the people, and next to them in the morning .... My family and friends, here to night, and at home. And, indeed, Mel Gibson - you know, he was making.

The way I would be able to stand here without acknowledging the any one of the deepest loves of my life, heroic co-parent, my ex-partner in love, but in the life of a righteous soul sister. My confessor, ski Buddy, consigliere, most beloved bff of 20 years, Cydney Bernard. Thank you Cyd. I am proud of this amazing family, our children, Charlie and Kit, who are my reason to breathe, and to evolve, my blood and soul. The boys, if you do not know the song, just as all things, this is for you. ... You see, Charlie and Kit, sometimes your mom lose it too. To have the moony but that I can, you know. This has the beginning of the end of the time, and like each other. Exciting the SCARY, and now what? Well, I'm never going to be in this stage again. Some degree. Be changed, you've Gotti love it. Indeed, I always tell us how to move the men, led by fables: a work of a great man in the world. From the comment it is now, in another conversation used to hold the staff I can. And maybe it will not be just as sparkly. Maybe it will not open in the three thousand screens. Maybe it will be a quiet and delicate that only dogs can hear it hiss. But it will be the writing on the wall, where Jodie Foster, it is still to be seen, and I desire to be understood, and so it is not at all alone. View all camps. Our next year.

See? That makes much more sense. I totally agree with Mel Gibson and Opus Dei that Vatican II was a big mistake.

P.S. Here's text in Latin... well, Google Translate Latin:

Jodie Foster Comes Out & LGBT Bloggers Have A LOT To Say

As predicted, Jodie Foster's confusing, quasi-coming-out speech at The Golden Globes was the topic in the LGBT blogosphere today What do people think? Well... it's complicated.

 

Tom & Lorenzo summed up the experience many us had watching the the whole cray-crayness unfold:

While the press and a whole bunch of other writers seem to be a bit confused as to what, exactly, happened, we think congratulations and back pats are in order. Yes, the whole world pretty much knew Jodie was gay and yes, she danced around the subject in the past, and yes, for the pedantic people in the room, it’s true; she didn’t actually utter the words, “I’m gay.” But she didn’t have to. Instead she offered up a rambling, emotional, exhilarating rant that laid bare her soul and her life to a roomful of people and a camera full of the world. It was awkward and funny, cringe-inducing and uplifting. Sloppy and real. And when it was over, we sat there, stunned and open-mouthed, until Tom finally managed the words, “Good. For. HER.”

Oh, and even before you dropped that little bomb on the room, we thought your dress was pretty damn fierce.

Andrew Belonsky at Towelroad is glad the wait is over:

Well aware that people have been waiting for this moment for years, Foster explained that her delay wasn't based in shame, but in the fact that she came of age when there was a larger premium on privacy ...But, standing up on that stage, poised and proud, Foster finally did the deed - and, as always, she did it her way. And we couldn't be more happy for her!

Michelangelo Signorile provides a little history at HuffPo:

Jodie Foster's sexual orientation has been discussed since the '80s, when her face was plastered on "Absolutely Queer" posters pasted by activists all over the streets of major cities. I discussed the rumors in my column in OutWeek magazine at the time, when queer activists charged that Foster's 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs was homophobic -- and, by today's more precise definition, transphobic -- and asked what responsibility a closeted gay star should have when it comes to anti-gay depictions in his or her own films. But for decades Foster steadfastly refused to discuss it, even in recent years as she made references to her former partner.

In the end, Signorile thinks Foster's coming out is one sign of how much queer activism has accomplished in the last few decades:

But whatever you thought of last night, you'd have to agree that it was another indication of how it's becoming harder and harder for anyone in public life to have any real credibility and still be living in the closet. Personally, I don't care if people like Jodie Foster are bitter or annoyed at activists. It's the job of activists to challenge people and, yes, to annoy people. What I care about is that the repressive and suffocating gay closet not be seen as a good place even if it is still the only safe choice for many. The only reason that millions are still in the closet is that society forces them there under threat of punishment. But things get easier for all those millions of closeted individuals when Hollywood celebrities and media figures come out. And more and more, it appears that it's becoming their responsibility, as privileged members of society, to do so.

At Autostraddle, actress Haviland Stillwell explains the particular importance of Jodie Foster to many lesbians in the industry:

For many of us, Jodie Foster was THE example of a gay woman who was really "making it" in Hollywood – but of course, the caveat was the reminder of, "Yeah… but she's not out." So we danced this line of "public vs private" and learned from birth that acting on instinct was not, in fact, always encouraged. But I am here to say that acting on instinct and being open about LOVE is a very positive thing – and it radiates outward. It’s important.

I can only imagine to be the kind of public figure Jodie Foster is and has been, for her entire life, everything she said about the need for privacy was 100% understandable, and I believe we will get to the point where “coming out” is unnecessary. We will get to the point where no one will assume someone is straight at birth. We will not need to have “gay role models” because we’ll just have role models.

John Aravosis at AMERICAblog is sympathetic to Foster's desire to stay out of the poisonous trap of celebrity culture, but wishes she had been more gracious to the LGBT community.

I think the immediately chorus of confusion and criticism I saw from my gay friends and colleagues online, in response to Foster’s speech, were justified. Scold the paparazzi who want you to come out because they’re bloodsuckers. Don’t scold your own community who has learned over the years that the best way we have of securing our civil rights, and saving gay kids who are at far too high a risk of suicide (and bullying), is by giving them role-models, and giving society yet another “she’s gay? I like her.”

I’ve had a…. what do you call a man-crush a gay guy has for a lesbian?… for Jodie Foster since I was a kid.  So maybe I’m just prone to giving her a break.  I do think that she was somewhat “off” tonight at the Golden Globes.  Maybe someone pestered her about coming out right before the awards.  Who knows.  And I can respect the overwhelming desire for privacy from any movie star, especially one who has sought it since the age of 3.  I just think that perhaps she could have responded, to the legitimate desire of the gay community to publicly welcome her into the fold, with something less than a scold.

Deb Baer at HuffPo is PISSED:

Why am I so angry? Because I'm roughly the same age as Jodie, and yet I had the courage to come out exactly 20 years ago. This was before Glee and Modern Family and Will & Grace -- and even Ellen DeGeneres' historical and culture-changing pronouncement. I, and so very many others, took a leap of faith and dealt with the consequences. Sure, I wasn't worried about losing $20 million a picture, but it's all relative: I feared that family and friends would abandon me, that I'd get passed over for jobs and promotions, that I'd be the victim of violence, and all the other clichés from the after-school specials.

And by the way, some of that stuff happened....

But back to Jodie. She blamed publicly remaining in the closet all these years -- even with a long-term partner and two children -- on that whiny excuse that so many celebrities use: "privacy." Sorry, but there are a lot of "private" stars who don't do a lot of press and don't talk about their personal lives, like Daniel Day-Lewis and Johnny Depp, but we know basic facts about them, such as whom they are married to. The "privacy" excuse is just that: an excuse.

Nobody was asking Jodie to be president of the gays.

Leah McElrath praises Foster for being a role model for the modern family:

I greatly appreciated Ms. Foster taking the time to honor her ex-partner and co-parent for the emotional support she has provided her through the years. Rather than critique her for “rambling”, I celebrate Ms. Foster for providing a role model of how to acknowledge that our most intimate relationships are substantial and life-altering, even after they transition. I know that my ex-partner and I aspire to do this – but it’s not easy. It takes work. It takes integrity. It takes commitment to the goal of doing so. It isn’t something that comes naturally for most people.

Over at Pam's House Blend, the always sensible and smart Pam Spaulding first points out that Jodie Foster is understandably fiercely protective of her privacy given her unique past--"how many people have had to contend with a man who tried to assassinate the President of the United States over an obsession with them?" She then goes on to question Hollywood culture and the media's role in maintaining the "glass closet":

My question is whether, even with so many public figures coming out, the media will really stop reporting with the closet in mind — the double standard that results in reporters inquiring on all sorts of levels about personal lives and relationships of hetero celebs, but studiously avoid asking socially out, but professionally questionably closeted people about the mundane same aspects of their lives. Hollywood still seems to be a place very conflicted about its public and private image when it comes to disclosing sexual orientation — that projects and career successes are tied to the illusion of straightness as something that must be maintained, or that something is “too gay” to be commercial or credible (see ‘Behind The Candelabra,’ Liberace Movie With Michael Douglas And Matt Damon, Deemed ‘Too Gay’ By Studios).

"Jodie Foster Stops Lying" is what Andrew Sullivan titled his post on The Dish. As you can imagine, he is having none of Jodie Foster's, in his words, "unadulterated bullshit."

"How beautiful it once was"? When gay people were put in jail, or mental institutions, or thrown out of their families - all because of the "beauty" of privacy for Hollywood royalty like Foster? And she honestly believes it's courageous to come out in a retirement speech? Well I guess we should be relieved she didn't leave it for her obit.

Finally, as in most things, I think Mx Justin Vivian Bond provides the best analysis--even while drunk. (You also get bonus thoughts on the NRA and the relationship between fish and eye shadow in this vlog post):

So... We're welcoming Jodie Foster to the LGBT community with both open arms and the middle finger. 

UPDATE

Karen Ocamb explained why she found Jodie Foster's speech "infuriating" at The Bilerico Project. Ocamb expands the story of Jodie Foster's fisrt public coming out:

...In the early 1990s, [Jodie Foster] helped her best friend Randy Stone and co-producer Peggy Rajski make the 1994 Oscar-winning short film Trevor - which was re-made for HBO in 1998 and was ironically introduced by newly out Ellen DeGeneres. And in 2007, the same year Randy Stone died of heart disease, she contributed another huge chunk of change to The Trevor Project, the largest in the organization's history. I met her then, on the rope line. She seemed quintessentially sophisticated Hollywood - posing for pictures and seemingly accessible but inscrutable when asked questions. Foster said in a statement:

“I feel so lucky to have had a best friend like Randy Stone, the funniest guy I’ve ever known. He was talented, passionate, supportive, and as big as life. He brought all his beautiful energy to The Trevor Project, which has done such meaningful work on behalf of gay and questioning youths. The call center campaign’s impact will continue the Trevor mission in Randy’s honor just as he would have wanted. I am proud to continue my support of Trevor in memory of my dearest friend. He is missed.”

Some of us wondered if that trip to the Trevor Project event was the impetus for coming out of the closet later that December when she accepted an award at the 16th annual Women in Entertainment Power 100 breakfast, during which she said: "I'm not sure I've managed to deserve the family and friends that surrounds me ... [including] my beautiful Cydney who sticks with me through the rotten and the bliss."

Fast forward five years to Jodie Foster's much discussed (second) coming out at last Sunday's Golden Globes. Ocamb unpacks the speech point-by-point (go read the whole analysis here--it's excellent), and concludes by bringing the story full circle:

To me, her most deeply personal, "confessional" remark was: "I want to be seen, to be understood deeply and to be not so very lonely."

That is the cry of all of humanity, something that the wealthy superstars at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and the poor, at risk LGBT kids somewhere in a dark room crying can understand. And that is why I found Jodie Foster's Golden Globe speech so infuriating: she knows this! And yet she apparently chooses to side with the angry self-centeredness of Mel Gibson rather than the loving humanity of Randy Stone. Yes, she has a right to do and say what she wants and to come out as she wishes. But she also has it in her to be bigger than that, to contribute what she knows about loneliness and hurt to benefit others - to benefit kids without the love of friends and family and she choose this award show where she could have reached millions to obfuscate, once again. The nugget of meaning I took from this Golden Globe: talent and brains don't mean you prize humanity.

 Matthew Breen, the editor-in-chief of The Advocate, looks at "Why Jodie Foster Left Us Deeply Conflicted":

Everyone should come out in her own time, but Foster was angry last night. One reason could be embarrassment at not having come out publicly (at least in her own estimation) until 2013. Last night’s speech clearly took a lot of guts for Foster to undertake. But too much anger was directed at a straw man of her own creation. ....By referencing Honey Boo Boo, a stand-in for all that is shamelessly confessional about celebrity in 2013, Foster’s implication was that the choices she faces as a public figure are few: (1) stay closeted, never acknowledge your sexual orientation in public, or (2) tell the world every sordid detail of your intimate life. That’s a bogus comparison, and it’s one that reinforces the idea that being LGBT is shameful, worthy of being hidden, and that saying you’re LGBT is an invitation to the whole world to come into your bedroom. That’s patently wrong. There are numerous out celebrities who guard their personal lives: David Hyde Pierce, Anna Paquin, Zachary Quinto, Amber Heard, Anderson Cooper, just to name a few.

....This speech had me deeply confused and conflicted. On the one hand, not everyone can or wants to be an advocate for LGBT rights. We cannot expect every smart, able celebrity to fly the flag and shout from the rooftops. Yet Jodie Foster is so smart, so capable, so worthy of respect as an actor, a filmmaker, and a feminist that I can’t help having wanted her to say, “I’m a lesbian, and there’s nothing wrong or shameful about it.”

I'll leave it there, as conflicted as we were at the beginning, but also, thanks to working through it together, much less confused.

#GoldenGlobes

So the Golden Globes are going along pretty much as usual. The stars arrive on the red carpet and the girls and the gays are Tweeting and live blogging away. My votes for Best Dressed go to...

...Lucy Liu...

  

...and Michelle Dockery.

Giuliana Rancic easily wins both Worst Dressed and Most Annoying on the red carpet.

As a co-host of The Fashion Police, Giuliana is probably ineligible for their "Fashole of Week" title which is really a shame. This look should not be allowed to go unpunished.

On last red carpet comment: Sam Fox looks exactly like his father did 25 years ago (but taller) which is a very good thing.

Not much noteworthy happened during most of the ceremony. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were great hosts, but MIA for much of the show. Only a few other things were post worthy.

Taylor Swift does not give good gracious loser face.

Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig were, by far, the funniest presenters.

 Tommy Lee Jones became one with a meme.

Glenn Close was hilarious acting drunk--or was she acting?

Then, Jodie Foster was given the Cecile B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award and things went a little cray-cray!

There's a lot of buzz on the Interwebs that she "came out" in her speech. She had already (sort of) did that in 2007--although a breakfast thrown by Hollywood Reporter is not as big a forum as the Golden Globes. Let's just say, Twitter was atwitter about Jodie Foster. (I can't be the first person to make the "Twitter/atwitter" joke, can I?) The best tweet was either by Frank Bruni:

 

Or by me:

Or by Dave Holmes:

Or by Melissa Harris-Perry:

Or by Kate Clinton:

Oh who am I kidding? Ben Wise clearly wins for best Jodie Foster Tweet of the Night:

In all the commentary and analysis of Jodie Foster's speech that is sure to come, I don't think anyone can do better than that. So, let's call it a night.

1983

One of my best buddies, Brendan, turned 30 today. In honor of his milestone, let's take a quick look back at the year of his birth, 1983. First, you must check out "Fads & Trends in 1983". Not only is it full of great  trivia (Ocean Spray introduced the juice box in 1983), the web page looks like it might actually have been created in 1983. Seriously, go check it out.

"Every Breath You Take" by The Police was the #1 song of 1983.

I bought Syncronicity on vinyl in 1983 and listened to it pretty much no-stop that year. Still, in retrospect, the big story in pop music was the year's #2 song. Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" was the second single from Thriller.  In addition to being part of the the best-selling album of all time, "Billie Jean" is one of the most iconic music videos ever.

Vanessa Williams became the first African American Miss America. As you may remember, that her reign ended when nude pictures of Williams were published in Penthouse. So, one outdated, sexist institution got rocked by a "scandal" created by another outdated, sexist institution. Vanessa Williams being the fabulous diva that she is went on to have arguably the best career of any former Miss America. Seriously, how many other Miss Americas can you even name?

Terms of Endearment won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1983, and Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi was the top grossing film. However, for me, as a young gay coming of age, there is one moment of 1983 cinema that stands head and shoulders above the rest.

By the way, I saw Risky Business with my parents who would not allow me to see violent movies but didn't bat an eye at one that featured prostitution and sex on public transit which partially explains why I love my parents so much.

On television in 1983, there was this on Saturday mornings:

Thanks Mom!

When I was ten years old, my mother and I made a date to watch Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back together. Somehow, in the middle of Iowa in 1977, she had become a Bette Midler fan. When she saw the commercials for the television special, my mom thought this would be the perfect way to introduce me to The Divine Miss M. I have a distinct memory of sitting in our TV room when this opening number began and laughing with my mother and loving it all.

No good, self-respecting gay is supposed to give any credit to the idea that mothers make their sons gay. However... I mean, really... How unhappy could she have been when I came out?